Quote Settings

Mashoom offers a range of options to set up the quotes module. It's advised to go through each of these settings in turn and configure them when you initially start using Mashoom, as they contain many automations and experience improvements to make you get the best out of Mashoom.

To go the the setting page, select "Settings" under the quotes section of the main menu (9 squares next to the logo).

Standard Charges

Standard charges are for fixed price items that are included on many quotes, usually things like transport fees. Standard charges can be set up in any currency, use the top selection box to choose a currency to work with.

You'll see a list of all the standard charges on the system, with their prices. If using some ERP integrations, for instance Sage 200 UK, prices can be imported from the ERP, and the list can't be edited via Mashoom. Standard charges can be hidden so they're no longer visible on Mashoom when making a new selection.

Equation Based Pricing

Next to each standard charge there is an option to "Use equation", which allows the standard charge value to change based on certain properties of the quote. This supports full Mashoom equation syntax, including functions, for instance:

• {totalPrice} * 0.1
• {totalWeight} * 2.5
• MIN(20, {totalWeight} * 2.5)
• IF({totalPrice} > 50, {totalPrice} * 0.1, 20)

Automatically Added Standard Charges

Use the "Automatic Standard Charges" section to set up when standard charges are automatically added to a quote, based on the total quote value. This is useful for when shipping is free for over a certain value, for instance. Select the standard charge this applies to, select the condition, then a quote value.

When this is set up, the standard charge will be added / removed as the quote value changes. This can be overridden by the user if needed.

Auto Callback

This setting allows you to set up a task for a quote automatically once it's been sent. This is really useful to structure how and when the sales team chase a quote, and therefore can improve quote acceptance rates and rejection reason feedback. These tasks will appear in Mission Control, allowing the sales team to centrally work through all their quote follow ups, and for top-down management of this aspect.

There are a few options:

• The period at which to wait before chasing a quote
• The financial value to chase quotes over, set to 0 for all quotes to have a task set
• Whether to skip weekends when setting up quote chasing, so that for instance a quote sent on Thursday doesn't have a task set for Saturday
• What holiday calendar to use to skip holiday days when setting up tasks

Auto Reject

The intent of the quote lifecycle is that all quotes, within reason, are set to their correct status as per reality. The main place this fails is when quotes have been marked as sent, but no further action has been taken. This could be because the quote hasn't been followed up, or that follow up result has been inconclusive or hasn't been recorded.

A time limit can be set up so inactive sent quotes are automatically rejected with a custom rejection reason so that these quotes can be reported on and analysed. This is from when the last activity was reported on the quote, so a quote will remain open if it's had recent activity or tasks set.

If there is a good reason that the quote needs to be open for longer than the set auto rejection period, it's advised to set up a task for when the quote needs to be chased.

The process to find and process inactive quotes is run at 00:00 UTC every day. The rejection time is set to the last activity plus the inactivity days set, not the run time of this process.

Rejection Reasons

Setting up this feature allows the sales team to feedback on why a quote was rejected. This information is invaluable in feeding back what could be done to improve your quote win rate.

Use this settings page to set up a list of rejection reasons. Our advice is this list should be short, at least to start with. We also would advise not to add a option like "Other", as this doesn't provide any useful information, and instead the sales team should be feeding back any reasons that should be on the list.

Quote, Proforma and Sales Order Numbering

When setting up the system for the first time, it's important to set up the auto numbering to avoid the sales team having to input a number every time a new document is created. The minimum length can be used to zero-pad the number, and the numeric value allows you to start from where an old system left off, or change the number each year.

When using an ERP integration, the sales order number may be generated when sent to the ERP, so can't be edited in settings.

Bank Accounts

Bank accounts are used on proformas, which can be generated is set to do so, after a quote has been accepted. Bank accounts can be set in any of the system currencies. Multiple bank accounts can be set for each currency, the user selects which bank account to use when setting up the proforma.

Quote Building

The following preferences can be set for how quotes are built:

• Allow override of stock description - normally stock descriptions are pulled from the stock module and are fixed. Checking this box allows these to be edited on a per quote line basis. These overridden descriptions will be recorded on the Sales Order when created
• Enabled discounts to be set - disable this to prevent discounts being applied to quotes
• Enable weight to be displayed for stock lines - tick this box to enable stock item weights to be displayed on the quote for stock items. This is useful when shipping costs are dictated upon weight.
• Enable quote tax rate override - if using the Contact module, a quote's default tax rate is dictated from the Contact's tax rate. Tick this box if this should be able to be overridden by the user

The comment line type can be enabled to allow comments to be added to a quote with their own line number, and therefore also recorded on the sales order. This is usually not required; each quote line already has a comments section.

Default notes are added to a quote when it's created. These should include standard notes or terms that apply to every quote.

Standard notes allow repeatable sections of notes to be set up, to allow them to be quickly inserted by the sales team. For instance you might have a several payment terms which are offered to different customers based on their relation with you. These different terms can be set up, with a short name, so the sales person can quickly insert these terms rather than having to type them out.

Quote Template

Mashoom doesn't use a standard cookie cutter approach to document templates, instead using an intelligent layout system that doesn't leave empty spaces and intelligently handles how to display the information. For instance, if no tax is required on the quote then it's not shown at all, rather than as a zero line. If no discounts are applied, then no discount column or overall discount is shown. Notes boxes aren't displayed if not used, etc.

The page to the left of the options can be used to upload your logo, business name and address, and footer text.

Stock lines are displayed with a bold header, then a second line(s) of text, followed by the comments line. Whether these lines show the code, name or description of the stock code is configurable. Note that as per the quote building setting above, it's possible to allow quote descriptions to be overridden.

Quote terminology simply refers to how the quote is titled, some users prefer "Quotation" over "Quote".

Finally, Mashoom supports both portrait and landscape quotes. Landscape quotes are better for when many lines are the usual, as each quote line is display on a single line, as opposed to in portrait mode.